‘He’ll get a sedative first, and then the dose,’ Ellie explained. Bella had heard this before, but she didn’t mind – Ellie was doing it partly to reassure her, she knew. She watched as the vet prepared the first syringe and then popped the needle into the canula she’d inserted into Monty’s left foreleg. Monty’s eyes began to glaze as the sedative took effect, and Bella blinked away the tears.
‘That’s it… good boy,’ she murmured, tracking a gentle hand down his back, along his spine. Monty raised his head, and for a long moment, he seemed to be holding her gaze. The calm look in his green eyes suggested that, perhaps, he understood that it was time.
Bella thought of the months he’d been a resident here. How the crotchety, scratchy animal had shown, in little increments, the beginnings of more affection towards her. He would never have been a lap cat, although Mollie had told her that Jack often sat with Monty curled up on his knees of an evening, but there had been a kind of fealty there, at points. She’d have loved to have been the one to see if that had grown greater with time. But, because Noah had signed off the paperwork, it was not to be.
After a minute or so, Ellie loaded the second syringe. ‘Goodbye, fella,’ Bella whispered, and this time she couldn’t help a tear escaping down her cheek. This was it.
‘Ready?’ Ellie said softly.
Bella nodded.
But as Ellie was about to insert the second needle into Monty’s cannula, the door to his enclosure opened and Mollie burst through, looking as flustered as Bella had ever seen her. Ellie’s syringe hovered above Monty’s leg, and even Monty in his sleepy state raised his eyes towards the interruption.
‘Is it too late?’ Mollie panted. Her eyes switched from the syringe, to Monty, to Ellie, and then to Bella.
‘Not quite,’ Ellie said. ‘Did you want to be with him, too?’
Mollie’s grey bob shook furiously. ‘No. It’s not that. I’ve just had a call from his owner. Noah’s changed his mind.’
‘What?’ Bella exclaimed, and then looked apologetically down at Monty. ‘Sorry, old chap. I didn’t mean to shout.’
Ellie put the syringe down, out of harm’s way. ‘Talk about cutting it fine, Mollie. Five more seconds and Monty here would have been a goner.’
‘Sorry, love.’ Mollie looked at the vet apologetically. ‘I’ve literally just got off the phone to Noah. When it came to the crunch, he couldn’t go through with it. Said he didn’t want to be responsible for putting Monty down when he clearly had some life left in him.’
‘So where does that leave Monty?’ Bella’s hands were shaking, and her voice was, too. ‘Boarding with us? Being re-homed? What’s Mr Noah Hathaway’s grand plan now he’s given Monty a stay of execution?’
Mollie sighed. ‘We didn’t get that far, love. All he said was, “Stop the vet from putting Monty down, and let me know when you’ve done it.”’
‘Well, I’ve had some close calls in my time,’ Ellie said wryly, ‘but this one really takes the biscuit.’
Bella looked down at Monty, who was still rather dozy from the effect of the sedative. ‘Will he be all right?’
Ellie nodded. ‘He’ll probably sleep it off this afternoon, but I’d have some water ready for him when he wakes up. He’s bound to be thirsty.’
‘I’ll make sure his fountain’s switched on.’ Bella smiled, first at Ellie, then Mollie, then down at Monty. ‘Looks like you’ll be with us a bit longer, old boy. And I can’t say I’m not pleased. But I wonder what Noah’s scheme for you is now?’
Monty merely stretched, blinked, and then put his head between his paws.
24
Noah paced his office, waiting for the call from Mollie. Now that he’d gone through with it, he couldn’t quite believe what he’d done. And, moreover, he had no idea how he was going to explain it to Joel and Marc. But that would have to come later. For now, it was imperative that he found out if he’d been in time to stop the vet.
‘Come on, Mollie,’ he muttered. Purrfect Paws wasn’t exactly palatial: even Mollie was spry enough to have got to Monty’s enclosure and back by now, surely?
He was gripping his mobile so hard that his hand was starting to cramp. Putting it down on the desk, still within grabbing distance, he thought over how he was going to play his next steps. What if Bella rejected his plan? She would be perfectly within her rights to. And, on reflection, what if he seemed like some awful guy, some jaded Prince Charming, offering her refuge with a view to ‘collecting’ later?Hey, babe, come and stay at my house. No strings attached, I promise!
No. He wasn’t like that. He hoped he could persuade her that his intentions were honourable. After all, the offer of somewhere to live wasn’tentirelywithout conditions. Bella would become Monty’s carer for a bit, until Noah could work out what he wanted to do with the cat, and also, someone would be at the cottage while the work was going on, to let in the tradespeople and keep an eye on the place.
Noah stopped pacing and sat back down at his desk. He had to get a grip. This was a left-field plan, and wholly dependent on Bella saying yes. If she didn’t – if she declined his offer – then he’d be back at square one. But he hadn’t made a success of his business by always sticking to the predictable path.
Finally, his phone rang, and it was the Purrfect Paws number onscreen. Snatching it up from the desk, he answered.
‘Hello? Mollie?’
‘Not quite,’ the voice on the other end said. ‘Mollie’s had to go out on an urgent rescue. She asked me to call you.’ Noah’s heart started racing again.
‘Oh, right.’ Noah swallowed. ‘How’s… how’s Monty?’
